Experience

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​We have advised:

a number of New Zealand’s largest banks, wealth managers, discretionary investment managers and derivatives issuers (including AMP, ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, Fisher Funds and Nikko Asset Management) on their FMCA transition, licensing, compliance, documentation and governance in response to what has been described as a ‘once in a generation’ rewrite of New Zealand’s securities law

foreign offerors of financial products and services (including Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC group, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch) on their compliance with New Zealand law, in particular their compliance with New Zealand’s securities, licensing and registration laws and the trans-Tasman mutual recognition regime

on acquisitions and restructurings of financial services businesses (including acquisitions of Tower Life by Foundation Life, 50% of OnePath by ANZ, five separate KiwiSaver Schemes by Fisher Funds and the National Bank funds and insurance business by ANZ), covering also the regulatory requirements associated with such transactions

numerous financial advisers, brokers and custodians on their responsibilities under the Financial Advisers Act and regulations

a number of financial institutions (including registered banks) on compliance requirements arising under Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT)

financial institutions and industry organisations on the identification and management of their obligations under offshore legislation including the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) and Common Reporting Standard (CRS)

on the requirements of the Non-Bank Deposit Takers Act, including on how it affects foreign offerors of loans and deposits to persons in New Zealand

domestic and international insurers on the compliance, licensing and governance requirements of the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act

NZX listing rule compliance

on various investment management, administration and custody service contracts

on financial service provider governance, due diligence programmes and compliance processes, and

on regulatory investigations and inquiries, threats of enforcement actions and dispute resolution.